The Meaning of Some Guernsey Surnames

There’s a rich variety of traditional Guernsey surnames. Surnames that have been in the island for generations and with which we are all very familiar but may never have given any thought as to what they might actually mean. As you will see some are job related and some are just plain funny and maybe the result of what we today would call ‘Nicknames’.

As you may expect many are of French or Norman origin but others have a more unusual etymology.

H

Hamon – ancester protector

Hardy – brave man

J

Jehan – an old spelling of Jean (John)

K

Keyho – from an old Sussex village

L

Lainé – eldest child

LE LACHEUR FACTOID

One of Guernsey’s most famous sons was William Le Lacheur. In Costa Rica he has appeared on bank notes, stamps and statues have even been raised to him. He is credited with transforming that country from being the poorest in Central America to the wealthiest, in less than a quarter of a century. He is quite literally regarded as a national hero there (see our article The Costa Rican Connection)

Langlois – from England

le Ber – bear

le Briseur – breaker

le Cheminant – wayfarer

Le Conte – one who played the part of a count or nobleman in a travelling theatre

le Cocq – cock

le Cornu – horn

Le Couteur – officer charged with care of the sacristy of the church

Le Cras – small one

le Feuvre – worker in iron

le Gros – big/corpulent

le Lacheur – net maker/raftsman

le Lievre – hare

le Maitre – master

le Messurier – one who measures

le Monier – mint worker

le Pelley – bald man

le Poidevin – from Poidevin, France

le Prevost – sheriff

le Roy/le Ray/Rihou – one who acted the king (in a play)

le Sauvage – rough customer

le Sueur – sower

le Tissier – weaver

M

Machon – mason/old male cat

Mainguy – store dog

Mallet – curse

Marquand – merchant

Mauger – tall, thin, person

Martel – strongman

Mignot – charming

Mollet – spineless or lifeless

Mourant – one who looked as if he was dying

N

Nicolle – derived from the baptismal name Nicolas (victory of the people)

O

Ogier – barley

Ozanne – pane of glass/glass worker

P

Paint – acted the heathen (in a play)

Palmer – palm-bearing pilgrim

Petit – small

Poidevin – native of Poidevin, France

R

Robinson – Robin’s son

Roussel/Le Ruez – red/reddy

S

Sarre – unbeliever

Sebire – sea bright, a warrior’s name.

Simon – biblical name

Smith – blacksmith

T

Tardif – snail

TORODE FACTOID

The truely amazing fact about the name of Torode is that every member who bears the name can trace their heritage back to the one small farm. Les Lorier (The Laurels) in St Saviours.

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